Texas Football: Mid-Season Grades for Each Longhorn Positional Unit
Texas enters the second half of its season at 2-4, losing two embarrassing blowouts and close calls apiece.
That's one way of looking at it.
The other would be that the Longhorns played five AP Top 25 teams in their first six games, knocking off No. 10 Oklahoma in Week 6. They play one the rest of the way, and the combined record of their remaining opponents currently stands at 19-18.
That, the 24-17 win in the Red River Rivalry and the fact that this team is coming off a bye will set the Horns up for success in the second half of the season. They're a young team with a redshirt freshman quarterback and a brand-new offense. With all these growing pains behind them, these guys have a chance to do some good things over their final six games.
So while most of these mid-season grades are middling to low, there's improvement in sight.
Quarterback: B-
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The Jerrod Heard era has begun at Texas.
Due to a woeful performance at Notre Dame, Tyrone Swoopes and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson gave way to a new regime in Austin. Jay Norvell was given playcalling duties, Jeff Traylor's role in the offense was expanded, and, most importantly, they handed the keys to the offense over to Heard.
With Heard at the helm, the Longhorns have become a power-running, play-action team with his legs being the game-breaking weapon. He's the team's leading rusher by a mile with 433 yards, able to turn even a little space into a big gain.
That said, the results have been a little uneven in Heard's five starts. He crashed back to earth after a record-setting performance against Cal, totaling 238 combined yards against Oklahoma State and TCU. Then he got it going in the win over Oklahoma, notching 115 yards of the team's 313 yards on the ground.
Over the second half of the season, it will be crucial for Heard to become more consistent down the field. His yards per attempt have settled down after a great start, and teams will undoubtedly begin to dare him to win with his arm. Preventing that from becoming an issue will be the responsibility of this entire offensive staff.
Still, it's impossible not to appreciate what Heard's done for this team. He's provided leadership, an offensive identity and some stability to a position that's been a fiery train wreck for five years. And the redshirt freshman is only getting started.
As an added bonus, Swoopes' "18 Wheeler" package is becoming a force in short-yardage situations.
Running Back: C+
2 of 8As a group, Texas' tailbacks have been pretty underwhelming thus far. However, one of them has the potential to change that over the course of the rest of the season.
Johnathan Gray hasn't been good and, barring a second-half surge, will go down as another 5-star bust at the position. It's unfair for the senior who has been an ace from an intangibles standpoint, but 3.7 yards per carry doesn't cut it. That and his pass protection are all that will keep him involved throughout his final season.
Luckily for Texas, D'Onta Foreman looks like a bona fide star. The sophomore has been on a tear as of late, turning 29 touches (27 rushes, two receptions) into 261 yards, including an 81-yard scamper in the Red River Rivalry, over his last two games. Keep in mind this is a 241-pound back we're talking about.
Foreman should see lead back work for the rest of the season, even if the coaches don't list him as the official starter over Gray.
Receivers and Tight Ends: C
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Texas' receivers haven't been overly consistent. They don't pile up the yardage, and drops have been an issue.
They're also opportunistic and deserve credit for the job they've done as blockers.
Freshman John Burt and Daje Johnson have been the Longhorns' best pass-catchers. Both rank in the Big 12's top 20 in yards per reception, each ripping off catches of 54 yards or greater.
The problem with these two, as well as with Armanti Foreman and Marcus Johnson, is they can can disappear just as easily as they can go. All four of Texas' leading receivers have at least one outing with less than 20 yards. No matter how run-focused the Horns are becoming, it's alarming that they don't have a more reliable downfield threat.
Following the bye, let's see if Burt and rising sophomore Lorenzo Joe can become more involved. They're two of Texas' more willing blockers, and Burt's big-play ability makes him lethal off play action.
"When Lorenzo Joe says that all he cares about is winning, it's not lip service. His blocking effort vs. Sooners was evidence of that.
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It's also time for us to see more of tight end Caleb Bluiett. A converted defensive end, Bluiett has seen immediate action because of his ability to play in-line, but he's also proving to be the better receiver between him and Andrew Beck. The junior has three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown, whereas Beck has managed just 14 yards on his two receptions.
Bluiett won't amaze anyone with what he does, but there's no reason for Beck to play over him in any situation.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Offensive Line: C
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Coming off its most dominant performance of the Charlie Strong era, we're finally seeing progress from Texas' offensive line.
The Longhorns were dominated against Notre Dame, adjusted well to the insertion of Heard at quarterback and then looked lost once Kent Perkins went down. Heading into a matchup with a talented Oklahoma front, most expected them to get exposed once again.
Instead, this group straight up bullied the Sooners for four quarters. The Longhorns front paved the way for 313 yards on 58 carries, allowing Heard and the running backs to bleed out the clock en route to the upset.
But even with that performance, the Horns' rushing attack still ranks fifth (per CFBStats.com) in the conference on in yards per game. More alarming is that this group is the Big 12's worst (tied with Oklahoma) in terms of total sacks and sack per game (per CFBStats.com).
There's plenty of room for improvement, and that's what makes Perkins' impending return so interesting. Perkins, in the eyes of SB Nation's Ian Boyd, was playing at an All-Big 12 level before he went down with a knee injury, and he missed that convincing showing against the Sooners.
If his teammates can keep up the effort they showed in Dallas, Perkins' return could be the story of the season's second half.
Defensive Line: C
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We've seen Texas' defensive line control the game, and we've seen it get controlled throughout some games. As with the rest of this team, consistency has been the missing ingredient.
With Hassan Ridgeway hobbled early in the season, this group was pretty much hopeless. The Longhorns recorded just four sacks in their first three games, also surrendering a 100-yard rusher in the process.
Ridgeway's return to form got things going against Oklahoma State, spurring a three-sack effort in which he returned a strip-sack fumble for a touchdown.
TCU picked up on the junior's impact the following week, erasing him en route to a 604-yard performance. The Longhorns recorded no sacks in that 50-7 loss, with their defensive linemen combining for just .5 tackles for loss.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, this unit bounced back to control the line of scrimmage in the upset win over Oklahoma. The Horns exploded for six sacks of Baker Mayfield and held the Sooners' talented running backs to just 60 yards on 16 carries.
"Poona Ford didn't get as much pressure as guys like Hughes or Ridgeway but when Mayfield would try to step up he'd be there for the sack.
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The difference in that game was tackle Poona Ford, who had his best game as a Longhorn with 1.5 sacks. With Ridgeway projecting to see plenty of double-teams, he took advantage of the one-on-one matchups, as his teammates will have to do for the final six games of the season.
Overall, this group has been terrible in three losses, looked good against Oklahoma State and woodshedded the Sooners. The latter performance makes this grade, mostly due to the secondary contributors that emerged.
Linebackers: B
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Malik Jefferson and Peter Jinkens, Texas' two every-down linebackers, lead the team in tackles and have combined for 9.5 tackles for loss.
Jefferson's propping up this grade for all of the reasons he was the considered the nation's top linebacker by 247Sports. He finishes tackles and shows well in space, and his ability to bust into the backfield led the charge in the Red River Rivalry. He's the total package, which is why ESPN considers him an All-Big 12er at the midpoint of the season.
"Texas LB Malik Jefferson has been named the Walter Camp national defensive player of the week. Had 6 tackles, 2 sacks vs. OU.
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Jinkens has been less impactful, but the senior has been a steadying presence on a back seven that's bereft of upperclassman talent. As SB Nation's Wescott Eberts notes, he deserves a lot of credit for the team's ability to turn Jefferson loose against OU:
"Against Oklahoma, though, Jinkens looked like a different player, finding opposing wide receivers on crossing routes and eliminating them as options in addition to taking on and defeating offensive linemen to limit the Oklahoma running game. Since Texas played much more dime than it has all season and used freshman linebacker Malik Jefferson off the edge, Jinkens was often the only player who could keep the Sooners from consistently gashing the Longhorns. In that high-pressure role, Jinkens excelled.
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We didn't count hybrid end Naashon Hughes as a linebacker, but it's worth mentioning that he's been solid this season. He's really done well with the linebacker phase of that role, and he's starting to figure out how to consistently rush the passer.
Secondary: C-
7 of 8Texas' best defensive backs are freshmen, and that's been a problem this season.
This is especially true at cornerback, where Duke Thomas was roasted repeatedly as the No. 1 corner. His struggles have opened the door for Holton Hill to handle opposing top receivers, where he's coming into his own.
"In his 2nd career start, CB Holton Hill played every defensive snap and played a very good game. #Texas' #1 CB is only a freshman, folks.
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Hill and Thomas will lead the cornerbacks in snaps the rest of the way, while Davante Davis and Kris Boyd continue to steal work from John Bonney and Antwuan Davis.
Safety has also been a weak spot for the Horns, and it wouldn't be surprising to see either Dylan Haines or Jason Hall start to lose time to a freshman. As noted by 247Sports' Jeff Howe, Haines has made some plays, but his physical limitations have become more obvious without Quandre Diggs and Mykkele Thompson alongside him.
Meanwhile, P.J. Locke has become a regular in the rotation, and the coaches really like DeShon Elliott.
"Bedford is excited @DeShonElliott_4 is healthy & said he will likely get more playing time. "He brings wood to the table all the time."
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Every game seems to bring more action for these freshmen. Let's see if they can help a defense that's given up a Big 12-worst 17 passing touchdowns (per CFBStats.com).
Special Teams: D
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As a whole, special teams haven't been as bad as this grade states. But this group has also cost this team two games, and that's impossible to overlook.
Nick Rose's missed extra point cost Texas a shot at overtime with Cal, which had no answer for Heard. Michael Dickson's mishandled snap against Oklahoma State gifted the game to the Pokes, who were getting smothered by the Longhorns defense.
Those two plays possibly cost Texas two games. That's as bad as it gets from special teams.
On the bright side, the Longhorns are the third-best team in the Big 12 at defending punt returns (per CFBStats.com). Daje Johnson also has a punt return for a touchdown, and DeShon Elliott's forced fumble against Oklahoma set up a touchdown.
There's been some good, but the bad has been brutal.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com.
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